Forced to do Party work, Govt. employees complain

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 18:08 GMT]Field officers of the para military Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) controlled local bodies in the Jaffna district Tuesday complained to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that they are being forced to distribute EPDP political pamphlets house to house in their areas,
sources said.

Complaints lodged at the LTTE Vadamarachchi division Tuesday revealed that chairmen of EPDP controlled local bodies have issued instruction to field officers in their councils to distribute party propaganda sheets house to
house, sources added.

Field officers have been further asked by chairmen of EPDP controlled local institutions to throw party propaganda sheets into the houses if the occupants refuse to accept them, complaints further state.

Local bodies of
Vadamarachchi South, Vadamarachchi West and Point Pedro are now under the
control of the EPDP.

Meanwhile the government Tuesday in a discussion with the Tamil National
Alliance (TNA) agreed not to extend the life term of local bodies in Jaffna
district, which expires in February this year, and to bring them under the
administration of special commissioners, sources said.